Ajinomoto Partly Wins Fight Over Modified Bacteria Patent (1)

A South Korean food company partly lost a patent dispute involving dietary supplements for animal feed.

CJ CheilJedang’s newer strains of amino acid products infringe Ajinomoto Co., Inc.'s U.S. Patent No. 7,666,655 on making bacteria produce more amino acid, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Aug. 6. But the court rejected Ajinomoto’s argument that CJ CheilJedang’s earlier bacteria strains also infringed the patent.

The ruling, which affirms a decision by the International Trade Commission, shows how courts examine statements made to a patent examiner during the application process when they interpret patent claims.

Ajinomoto researches, develops, ...